The China Mail - From Club Med to Beverly Hills: Assinie, the Ivorian Riviera

European holidaymakers once flocked to the endless sandy white beaches and idyllic waters of Assinie, located 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of the economic capital Abidjan and near the Ghanaian border.

The fishing village's former Club Med even provided the backdrop for the 1978 cult French comedy film "Les Bronzes" ("French Fried Vacation"), which satirically skewered resort vacations. Reggae star Alpha Blondy also sang its praises in 2010.

"Everything here was white. Only European tourists! You had to really search to find a black person," chuckled Pierre Ake, who lives in a nearby hamlet.

But European tourists have long since packed their bags, driven out by deadly political unrest that shook Ivory Coast in the early 2000s.

Today, swimming pools stagnate, and the sun pierces through the leaky roof of the stage where performers entertained.

The Club Med resort lies in ruins, but its dilapidated state conceals Assinie's new lucrative identity as the Ivorian Riviera.

- 'Beverly Hills' -

When foreign tourism took a nosedive, Ivory Coast's jet set moved in to take advantage of its kilometres of coastline and a lagoon under the shade of coconut trees.

Opulent villas, luxurious homes hidden behind high walls, imposing buildings under construction and discreet hotels now line the shore.

The rare empty plots are under guard, a sign of their per-square-metre value. A waterside villa easily goes for close to a million euros -- an unimaginable price for the average Ivorian. Rentals with a pool cost 1,000 euros ($1,150) a night.

"Assinie is the Saint Tropez of west Africa. Or Beverly Hills, if you prefer," local councillor Maxwell Kouassi said, repeating an oft-used catchline.

Abidjan's wealthiest spend their weekends in Assinie, soaking up what tourist brochures describe as a "perfect alchemy between relaxed luxury and preserved authenticity".

Superstar former footballers Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o own villas in the resort, while President Alassane Ouattara, who has just clinched a fourth term in power, spends his weekends on a local estate hidden by a thick palm grove.

From his boat on the lagoon, Ake pointed out to AFP the properties of top politicians, sports officials and business elite.

The Lebanese, who wield considerable economic power in Ivory Coast, "are highly numerous here", he added.

Quad biking on the beach had "annoyed the president" and has now been banned by prefectural decree, with vacationers jet skiing on the lagoon instead.

- 'Loads of money' -

In Assinie, "there's loads of money, billions", the councillor Kouassi said, regretting that so little reaches local villagers.

"Yes, very wealthy people come here," he conceded, while stressing that "more modest people" also vacation in Assinie.

With a recently-completed highway now making up part of the journey from Abidjan, "Assinie is an area of the future, and we have big plans", he said.

"We have the sea, the lagoon, nature. All of this attracts jealous eyes. Everyone wants a house here," said Laurent Kouame Anoh, chief elder in the village of Assouinde, at the far end of the lagoon.

"Some of our young people work in hotels, a few in villas," he added.

"Before, there were thatched huts, bamboo houses. For the last 15 years, there's been construction everywhere," according to a hotel employee.

"Assinie has changed a lot," said Jean-Claude, a seller of African crafts.

"The tourists have been replaced by the powerful. The poor like us don't interest them."

C.Mak--ThChM